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Is Guild Wars going to lose major ground to games like AOC, HGL and Fury?
BattleFelon
Member UncommonPosts: 483
I'm writing this post as a loyal GW fan - I've played on and off since launch, bought every expansion, and even had drinks with the ArenaNet team at fan parties here in Seattle. The Guild Wars series will always have a special place in my heart - but I'm afraid that a few upcoming games are about to eat ANet's lunch.
Specifically:
Hellgate London - I've stopped leveling in GWEN to try the Hellgate beta, and IMHO Hellgate's gameplay has captured the hack-and-slash goodness of Diablo far better than unfortunately GW did. HGL will have FPS-style classes that will give people a wider choice in gameplay besides standard skill-mashing MMOG play. Thus different classes will not only have different skills, but also completely different playstyles for both the strategic and more action-oriented player. Finally, the "gothic horror meets cyberpunk setting" also seems more accessible to many gamers than GW's more exotic settings. All in all, I think GW is about to lose its place as the action RPG successor to Diablo, at least in terms of PVE.
Fury - I've been hearing plenty of complaints in the GW PVP community about how GW PVP is getting a bit stale and dominated by FOTM and Heroway. I'm also personally disappointed that GWEN didn't introduce much new in terms of PVP (I'm still holding out hope for a PVP version of Polymock). Meanwhile, Fury looks like it will be doing something GW decided not to do - concentrate solely on making PVP instead of trying to balance both PVE and PVP.
Age Of Conan - The combat combo system and GVG where guilds actually have to fight for a limited number of battle keeps I'm sure will draw in quite a few top GW players.
Does anyone else feel the same way?
Comments
Many games are going to lose customers to upcoming MMOs, GW included. Although, I'm a bit surprised that you didn't mention WAR.
i too have been a loyal GW fan since the very beginning...and all i can say is that if GW can survive WoW then these other games arent much of a problem. I mean sure they offer things that are new or refined to the MMO industry, but with GW's rich PVE storylines and gameplay elements, and the competitive PvP, interest wont go away that easy. But if what Jeff Strain said was true, then GW2 will probably knock the socks off of the MMOs that we ask about now. When ArenaNet started to get quiet after GWEN's launch, i could tell that big things are coming and we will all be happy with the results.
With ANet seeing limitations themselves before GW has died or come close to death, along with their tendencies in trying to be innovative, I have high hopes for GW2. GW1 may be "eaten" by the games the OP has mentioned and a few more, but hopefully GW2 will be great enough to grab my attention again (although my attention for GW hasn’t been fully lost yet).
We just have to wait a year or two to find out.
None of the features the OP mentioned would be a draw for me. Hellgate sounds too grim and the PvP innovations of the other games you mention mean nothing to me either, since I am only interested in PvE.
In any case, I think GW will survive just fine and, moreover, will capture a large share of the market if they stay with the no-subscription fee model, as they have stated they intend to do.
I really think that the "free-to-play" aspect is their ace in the hole. Casual gamers like myself are not going to cough up a monthly subscription fee for just any game -- and preferably for no game at all. WoW was my only exception to this rule, but when I compared cost versus playing time, GW was by far the better deal. WoW is something like $150+ per year (in subscriptions alone [i.e., not counting the cost of the game itself]), roughly the equivalent to the cost of three GW campaigns.
As I have mentioned in other threads, I am not enthusiastic about the WoW-ward direction GW2 seems to be taking, but if they come up with a decent game that is a subscriptionless alternative to WoW (and other, similarly subscription-based MMOs), they will offer a very attractive alternative for many).
Of course, GW in its current form is not really an MMO at all, since, as others have noted, you probably play a good 90% of the game solo, maybe more than that. Frankly, I wish GW2 would offer an instanced/persistent server option, wherein you could choose which playstyle you preferred -- with the regions, dungeons, and/or missions scaled to match. The current predominantly instanced model is ideal for casual or (mainly) solo players, whereas the persistent world model is going to appeal to more social players who may have more time to dedicate to guilds, coordinating raids, and aother aspects of cooperative play.
It might lose some players yes. But i still love EQ 1 . it's the best pve game on the market in my opinion. wow for pvp , eq 1 for pve. warhammer will be good pvp . not sure on pve . still waiting for next great pve game. eq 1 till than . eq2 isn't good.
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My 2 cents....
AoC will be a threat to nothing
Fury is going to be far to specialized.
HGL - I don't really know on that one yet. I need to take a look at it. I read about a dozen articles but thats about it.
Another thing to keep in mind is Eye of the North is the last Hoora for GW as they are focusing on GW2 now. That is what will change the face of GW, not any of those titles.
Guild Wars free online play structure wont make it loose ground in the amount of players it attracts. I know quite a few well known GW guilds on the AoC forums already, recruiting. The thing is even with all the skills and all the different maps the core mechanics of the GvG seem stale to me (I've been playing right from the get go too) The system isn't knew it just gave a greater scope to achieve more things, which isn't bad. The limiting number of people allowed in guild battle is too small too imo.
Whatever happens, people will be interested to see what happens with GW2 more so because of the excellent way the first ones were put together.
This is how I see it in the future... yes, yes I am an mmorpg prophet.
HGL - Will stand on its own over time. Initially it will have a struggle, but in time will flesh out nicely.
Fury - Will not stand on its own over time. It will fade away like many past mmos.
AoC - Will stand on its own over time. Active Subs around 750k-2m
WAR - Will stand on its own over time. Active subs around 1m-2m
Great discussion so far - and I'm glad that many people here feel GW is not going to lose massive amounts of players in the upcoming months.
I focused on Fury and HGL because both games are pretty much competing directly for GW's player base. Fury is trying to set itself up as Guild Wars-style CORPG without any PVE (at least that's the impression I got at Penny Arcade Expo), which I guess could draw in a good crowd. HGL will also offer action RPG gameplay AND free online play just like GW. Finally, Flagship Studios is kind of the "other Blizzard kid" competing with ArenaNet, since both companies are lead by former Blizzard visionaries.
For whatever reason I also know plenty of gaming friends who were hardcore Diablo fans and see HGL as Diablo's second coming. I've actually been told "well I couldn't get into GW, but I love Diablo, so I've already preordered the HGL collector's edition." Likewise, as I'm checking out the AOC forums I've heard quite a few people talk about how they've burned out on GW's GVG ladder system and want a game where Guild Battles will be massive and mean something.
I didn't include WAR in the discussion earlier because I felt that game was competing more for WOW players than GW players due to its Realm Vs Realm-style PVP and traditional subscription plan. I think WAR will do very well but GW still has the advantage of being the free forever game you can always fall back on if you're burned out paying monthly fees.
I do recognize that GW has some things going for it to keep up a good player base until Guild Wars 2 launches. GW has put a greater emphasis on PVE play since Nightfall, which can only lead me to guess that a PVP-only game like Fury may not do so well. I've met very few MMOG players who want to do PVP all the time, and hardcore non-stop PVPers will probably be sucked into Halo 3, Quake Wars, and Team Fortress 2. AOC looks promising but it requires a high-end system and subscription fees, which means in the end plenty of GVG fans will still play GW because it's free and accessible. I'm curious to see if HGL will still be a fun experience for non-subscribers, or if you'll need to upgrade to $9.95 a month to have any fun in multiplayer.
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Fury is like GW but not as good, much to buggy and combat not as fun. PLayed it for a while and it was a adrealin kick that lasted not long at all :P AOC is overrated, i can tell you that much
GW will be around even after gw2, dont worry. PPl will still play it in enugh numbers for it to be fun for loooooong.
guild wars isnt an mmo, people who dont like monhtly fees automatically wont choose age of conan, and warhammer and any other sub based mmo.
guild wars only competition is hellgate london, it basically uses the same business model and set up as guildwars, bunch fo instances and central meeting spots, free to play but buy the box.
Guild wars has done a good job staying up to date, so just have to wait until nov1 to see if it dies or not.
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/secondedFury feels more like a hack and slash Unreal Turnament
/seconded
Fury feels more like a hack and slash Unreal Turnament
I'll second (or third) that.
I agree with most posters already, the only true competitor to GW would be Hellgate:London. On the other hand it's combat style is totally different and much more fast paced. I personally like the GW style a lot better. Sure, GW might loose some at the start, especially those who tend to lean towards FPS games more than RPG but in general, what I've seen on HG:L doesn't surpass GW.
Btw, when was GW an action RPG successor to Diablo? I don't think they are very much alike, at all.
I don't think GW has anything to worry about. It has a strong fanbase that is eagerly anticipating GW2, and as long as it stays f2p, they won't have to worry about losing people to the likes of AoC and WAR because people will play both.
Yeah, guildwars won't lose it's core player base at all imo...and I think the bulk will then move on to GW2. I would also like to add that I don't think it's just the B2p then F2p aspect that keeps players playing this game. I think that the game can be very challenging at times. And Guild Wars has something no other game on the market has, a real story to connect with. It's very hard for me to forget any part of that game.
As I haven't played in about 2 months....(GWEN is collecting dust sadly), I will say that no matter what MMO I pay for...as long as guild wars is around, it will be my second MMO so to speak. The backup as many in my guild call it. I bounce around every few months. I kinda believe that if I and many of my guild mates do this...we can't be the only ones.
I think so
I got Guild Wars and was never too interested in it.
Any reason why? or you just not given it time to shine? (thats not having a go, its just it can take some a while to see the good things)
Yeah, guildwars won't lose it's core player base at all imo...and I think the bulk will then move on to GW2. I would also like to add that I don't think it's just the B2p then F2p aspect that keeps players playing this game. I think that the game can be very challenging at times. And Guild Wars has something no other game on the market has, a real story to connect with. It's very hard for me to forget any part of that game.
As I haven't played in about 2 months....(GWEN is collecting dust sadly), I will say that no matter what MMO I pay for...as long as guild wars is around, it will be my second MMO so to speak. The backup as many in my guild call it. I bounce around every few months. I kinda believe that if I and many of my guild mates do this...we can't be the only ones.
I still believe it was the basic idea with (among other things) the "no subscription" model at the beginning, having GW along with a P2P MMO and pop in every now and then.
__________
Ever wondered what a hardcore WoW raider looked like?
R.I.P. Laura "Taera" Genender
Yeah, guildwars won't lose it's core player base at all imo...and I think the bulk will then move on to GW2. I would also like to add that I don't think it's just the B2p then F2p aspect that keeps players playing this game. I think that the game can be very challenging at times. And Guild Wars has something no other game on the market has, a real story to connect with. It's very hard for me to forget any part of that game.
As I haven't played in about 2 months....(GWEN is collecting dust sadly), I will say that no matter what MMO I pay for...as long as guild wars is around, it will be my second MMO so to speak. The backup as many in my guild call it. I bounce around every few months. I kinda believe that if I and many of my guild mates do this...we can't be the only ones.
I still believe it was the basic idea with (among other things) the "no subscription" model at the beginning, having GW along with a P2P MMO and pop in every now and then.
off topic:
Your sig about "Ever wondered what a hardcore WoW player looks like" is funny as hell. Giving that game up soon. Probably go into Guildwars hardcore till I burn myself out again on it, or until something good comes out. Maybe I will try out Tabula Rasa next week.
I've never heard someone say that before.
................................
My current Guild Wars character:
Dauthix The Avenger (Paragon/Ranger)
Thanks
I've played the Beta of Tabula Rasa, personally I didn't find any long term appeal, but that's a matter of taste, it's definitely worth trying though, quite well made. Just make sure you have 2GB of RAM at least, the low quality settings aren't something you want to play in 2007.
__________
Ever wondered what a hardcore WoW raider looked like?
R.I.P. Laura "Taera" Genender
I think you can safely say "little to none".
Back when GW was released.. why did most people go for GW instead of WoW? Thats right, monthly payments.
Now, all future comming games have not learned anything on the numbers that a free mmorpg can generate a large profit and have a player base of over 3 million, and as such they are all P2P. Why would people now suddenly go for P2P when they dont want to P2P?
Sure, hellgate london is a good game, but once you start talking about online it is going to be P2P.
As for the other games, they are completely p2p so you can safely say these can be ignored as to what their impact is on GW.
It will probably be different in 6-12 months, when everybody is getting a bit bored waiting for GW2 and for the time being start experimenting in other games.
I Don't agree at all! altough after 27 months of Guild Wars, i need some new pvp gameplay, but fury's gameplay isn't better, at all... it is pvp focused, but it is imbalanced... so GW has nothing to fear from Fury (i can know, i played it
)
Can't say anything about hellgate, never played it.
But where did you get the idea that GW is based on Diablo? They have many things which are the same, but every MMORPG is the same, so why can't the CORPG's have some aspects which are the same?
And AoC is doomed before it has been released... a MMORPG... with sex in it, not a bad idea, if humanity wasn't all fucked up ^^ just imagine a couple of hundred people 'playing' with each other on the battlefield
sSo you shouldn't worry about any of those games
WAR will only get players from WoW probably, the are too much diferences between GW and WAR 
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